Data Science Intern (GIS & Remote Sensing)

DiscoverEE

Toronto

On-site

CAD 28,000 - 33,000

Full time

11 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Equity pool

Two weeks vacation

Hybrid work (80% remote)

Job summary

Korotu Technology is seeking a Data Science Co-op to tackle complex, multi-modal environmental data and help advance our Aroa platform. You will work with satellite imagery, LiDAR, and field data to answer critical questions about carbon storage, habitat prioritization, and wetland health.

You will build ML models, perform geospatial analysis, and deliver data-driven insights to clients with maps and dashboards, while collaborating with a small, mission-driven team in a hybrid work setup.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in a quantitative field with GIS/remote sensing coursework
Proficiency with desktop GIS software (QGIS/ArcGIS) for spatial analysis
Solid geospatial data foundations (raster/vector, GIS concepts)
Strong Python for data analysis (Pandas, NumPy)
Understanding statistics and ML concepts (hypothesis testing, regression, classification)
Ability to conduct independent research and explain technical concepts

Responsibilities

Solve end-to-end client challenges from brief to delivery with data-driven solutions
Wrangle, clean, and prepare diverse geospatial datasets; perform EDA and feature engineering
Design and train ML models to classify land cover, measure biomass, predict environmental changes
Build scalable features for the core Aroa platform and productize repeatable workflows
Communicate findings to clients via maps, dashboards, and compelling stories

Skills

Python

Pandas

NumPy

GIS

QGIS

ArcGIS

PostGIS

GDAL/Rasterio

Machine learning

Data wrangling

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in Geomatics/Math/Statistics/CS

Tools

Jupyter Notebooks

Git

Docker

Job description

Disclaimer: This posting is not an opportunity to work for Clean Foundation. Clean Foundation is supporting the hiring process for Green Jobs Internship Programs. The organization participating in Green Jobs Internship is Korotu Technology located in Toronto and Vancouver. This position is hybrid being approximately 80% remote.Clean Foundation will be collecting resumes then submitting them to Korotu Technology to complete the interview and onboarding process.

Korotu Technology website can be found here: korotu.com.

About Korotu

Korotu Technology (www.korotu.com) is a fast-growing clean-tech startup on a mission to protect our planet. We use satellite imagery, AI, and on-the-ground data to help communities monitor, measure, and finance nature-based solutions. Our SaaS platform, Aroa, empowers land protectors and impact investors to fight climate change and preserve biodiversity by providing them with data we can trust. We are a small, passionate team making a big impact, working with partners like WWF-Canada and the Island Nature Trust.

The Challenge & The Data

This isn't a typical data science role. You will work with complex, multi-modal, and powerful data to answer critical environmental questions:

The Data: You'll work with petabytes of satellite imagery, high-resolution drone photography,LiDAR scans, and terrestrial field measurements.
The Questions: How can we accurately measure carbon stored in a forest from space? Which habitats should be prioritized for conservation funding to maximize climate and biodiversity impact? How do we detect subtle changes in wetland health over time?
The Impact: Your models and analyses will directly influence the conservation strategies of our clients—from Indigenous land protectors to national environmental organizations—and guide the flow of millions of dollars in climate finance.

This position is a 12-month contract funded through the Green Jobs Program, structured with a clear path and intent to transition into a permanent role upon term completion.

What You'll Accomplish (Responsibilities)

As our Data Science Co-op, you will own the problem-solving lifecycle, turning client needs into data-driven solutions that strengthen our platform.

You will:

Solve End-to-End Client Challenges: Work directly with our clients from their initial brief through to final delivery. You will lead the process of developing ideas, prototyping models, testing solutions, and presenting actionable results.
Explore & Engineer: Wrangle, clean, and prepare diverse geospatial datasets across raster, vector, and point clouds. You'll perform exploratory data analysis (EDA) and spatial EDA to uncover hidden patterns and engineer features (e.g. Zonal statistics, texture metrics etc) that improve model performance.
Model & Analyze: Research, design, and train machine learning models to classify land cover, measure biomass, and predict environmental changes using remote sensing and GIS-derived predictors.
Build for Scale: Move beyond one-off analyses. You will translate your successful client-specific solutions into robust, scalable features for our core Aroa platform, improving the product for all our users.
Communicate with Impact: Present your findings directly to clients, translating complex results into clear, compelling stories and actionable insights via maps and dashboards.

GIS & Remote Sensing Focus

This role is designed for candidates who specialize in spatial data structures, geoprocessing workflows, and extracting insights using traditional remote sensing methodologies.

Your specific focus will be:

Leading the prototyping of complex GIS workflows, spatial analytics models, and productizing repeatable cartographic pipelines.
Leveraging advanced desktop GIS automation (QGIS/ArcGIS) and spatial statistics to engineer environmental indicators.
Communicate via Maps: Translate complex results into clear, compelling stories through maps, spatial visualizations, and interactive dashboards.

What We're Looking For (Qualifications)

We are looking for curious and analytical students who are passionate about using data to solvereal-world problems.

Funding Eligibility Criteria:

Please note that this role is funded by Clean Foundation’s Green Jobs Program and therefore thesuccessful candidate must meet the following requirements set out by the funder:

Between the ages of 15 and 30 (inclusive) at the start of the position
Be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person as defined by the Immigrationand Refugee Protection Act
Not a student or currently enrolled in school or an academic program at the start of theemployment
Be legally entitled to work in Canada
Be legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation andregulations

Must-Haves

Educational Foundation: A Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD program in a quantitative field like Geomatics, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Computer Science,or a related discipline withapplied GIS/remote sensing coursework or project experience.
Proficiency with desktop GIS software (QGIS and ArchGIS) for spatial analysis andgeoprocessing.
Solid foundation with geospatial data (e.g., raster/vector data, GIS concepts) and related tools(e.g., GDAL, Rasterio).
Knowledge of core geographic concepts (e.g. scale, spatial relationships, spatial autocorrelation,uncertainty, spatial sampling).
Strong programming skills in Python for data analysis (experience with Pandas, NumPy, etc.).
A solid foundation in statistics and machine learning concepts (e.g., hypothesis testing,regression, classification, clustering).
Ability to conduct independent research, take ownership of projects, and clearly explaintechnical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Bonus Points (Nice-to-Haves):

Experience building and training models with frameworks like Scikit-learn, Keras, or PyTorch orexperience in designing and operationalizing models/workflows in ArcGIS (e.g. ModelBuilder).
Knowledge of forestry, ecology, or environmental science.
Experience with SQL (especially PostGIS) and cloud platforms (Azure or AWS).
A passion for sustainability and climate change solutions.

Our Data Science Toolkit

Core Languages: Python, R, SQL
Key Libraries: Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, Keras/TensorFlow, Matplotlib, GDAL, Rasterio
Remote Sensing Data Sources: Public and commercial satellite imagery from leading providersincluding the European Space Agency (ESA Sentinel constellation), NASA (Landsat program),and commercial vendors (e.g., Planet, Maxar).
Software: ArcGIS, QGIS
Databases: PostgreSQL with PostGIS extension
Infrastructure: Microsoft Azure, Docker, Git
Collaboration: Jupyter Notebooks, Figma (for prototyping)

Why You'll Thrive With Us

Experience the Full Cycle of Impact:You won't just build models in isolation. You'll work directly with clients from brief to delivery, see the 'aha!' moment when your solution works for them, and then help build that solution into our core product.

Go Beyond the Desk (Optional Fieldwork): Get your hands dirty! You'll have the unique opportunity to join our team for occasional fieldwork to collect drone and terrestrial data, connecting your models to the real world.
Dedicated Mentorship: Receive coaching from an experienced team committed to your growth. You'll learn how to build, deploy, and communicate data science solutions in a startup environment.
Work on a World-Class Problem: You'll tackle one of the most important challenges of our time with a truly unique and powerful dataset.
True Work-Life Balance: We are serious about working a standard day and then closing the laptop. We believe rest fuels innovation.
Grow Your Cultural Awareness: Join our regular watch parties and roundtable discussions led by our Indigenous Relations Lead to grow your understanding of Reconciliation and Indigenous conservation practices.

The Details

Job Type:Full-time, 12-Month Contract-to-Permanent (Structured with intent to transition to apermanent role after the initial 12-months).
Base Compensation:$20-24 per hour, commensurate with your experience.
Vacation:Two weeks of paid vacation during the contract year.

Upon Transition to Permanent Status

When this role transitions to a permanent position at the end ofthe 12-month contract, your total rewards package will automatically unlock to include our full suite of employee benefits:

Health Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
Equity & Bonus: Access to our employee equity (stock options) pool and performance-basedbonuses.
Increased Vacation Time: Your paid vacation will increase to three weeks per year.

Work Environment & Locations

Location: We operate a hybrid model. Our teams are based in Toronto and Vancouver, with work being approximately 80-90% remote, complemented by regular in-person workshops and teammeetings.

Hours: